We’ve probably all heard people say, ‘God told me,’ and then it turned out not to happen. The problem is that the more times people get it wrong, the more we become doubting and cynical. God speaks through people, and our fear of someone getting it wrong, or even being deliberately misleading, can mean we miss out on some very vital, and very real, input from God. One night, God appeared to Jacob in a dream, saying: ‘“I am with you and will protect you everywhere you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, but I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “This place frightens me! It is surely the house of God and the gate of heaven”’ (v.15-17 NCV). If we want to hear from God, we must 1) desire it above everything else, 2) slow down, give God space to speak, and take time to understand what He’s saying to us, and 3) believe that God will actually speak to us. If we don’t believe, we’ll be reliant on our own thinking and judgment, and open to the influence of others who share our opinions. Seven times in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation, God said, ‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches’ (NLT). So how can we be certain that what we’re hearing is actually from God? The answer is that it will always agree with His Word, and our spirits will say, ‘Amen!’ when we hear it.

What Now?

Make some space in your day to devote to God and concentrate on what He wants to say to you today. Remove all distractions and invite Him to speak to you.